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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

EXTRA! EXTRA! Dress Me Dearly interview with the Vermilion Standard.

Although I now strut the streets of Edmonton as a city slicker, sipping lattes and spending copious amounts on fashion and other "needs", I actually came from very humble beginnings. I grew up on a farm outside a small town (population below 5,000) where my only shopping sources were the local Goodwill, Saan Store and a very sad Fields. I'm very lucky to have a mother who took me on various shopping trips to Edmonton, sparking my passion for fashion at a young age.

Anyway, my hometown newspaper, The Vermilion Standard, found out about my participation in the Southgate Stylist Search and contacted me for an interview! A huge thank you to writer Francois Biber for chatting with me and writing a fantastic article.

As one of six finalists in the Southgate Stylist Search, Janis Galloway, 25, has come a long way from forging styles from clothes she picked up at the Community Closet in Vermilion years ago.

"I think small town girls are often more creative with their fashion sense simply because there's not as much selection," said Galloway.

"I have to give Vermilion some credit for forcing me to be creative with my outfits."

Galloway is now competing against other Alberta stylists for a part-time position with Southgate, as a personal stylist.

Jenny Adams, marketing director for Southgate said the stylist program has been running for four years and the response through word-of-mouth has her only stylist booked solid seeing 25 clients per month. Shoppers spend two hours with a personal shopper for a $20 donation to Suit Yourself; an organization that gives gently used business clothing to women heading back into the workforce.

"We have always wanted to add a second stylist but never really got around to it," said Adams.

"We thought it would be a great idea to give someone in Alberta's fashion world an opportunity to further his or her career in fashion."

With over 100 applicants, Southgate has narrowed it down to six finalists who compete in four challenges (dressing manikins, a video interview, a blog post for spring and styling a judge) and based on votes and judges, decide who get to be the next Southgate stylist.

"We have a very strong brand here so for us it's really important we find someone who really encompasses the Southgate brand and can help relay our message to our shoppers," said Adams.

After graduating from J.R. Robson High School in 2004, Galloway attended Grant MacEwan where she finished with a human resources and a public relations diploma.

However, for Galloway, fashion has always been on her radar but says at such a young age, cracking the industry seemed impossible.

In August 2010 she started her blog called Dress Me Dearly which has since been named one of the Top 15 Canadian fashion blogs by Fashionism.ca

"It's the best thing I've ever done because it has opened so many doors for me. For someone who doesn't have professional fashion experience, all of a sudden I have a resume online," said Galloway.

"It's a huge clothing swap. I'll have my own clothing rack so people can shop my closet," she said.

In the Southgate competition Galloway said she's amazed what can happen when you put your work out there.

"If you love something enough, I encourage people to just go for it because you never know what can happen," she said.

As the stylist competition draws to a close, competitors only have one challenge left. Galloway said she's excited to dress her judge, CTV Edmonton Anchor Erin Isfeld.

The winner will be announced this week with Southgate hosting a celebration for the winner in Edmonton on May 14.

If you'd like to support Galloway and her drive to be the next Southgate Stylist visit http://www.southgatecentre.com/programs-jobs/stylist-search-vote/ and cast your vote. (Sorry folks, voting is closed!)